The Riddler's Revenge
The Riddler's Revenge is a steel stand-up roller coaster located at Six Flags Magic Mountain. Manufactured by Bolliger & Mabillard, the ride opened as the park's eleventh roller coaster on April 4, 1998, setting multiple world records among stand-up coasters. Originally located in the Movie District section of the park, which later became Metropolis in 2017, The Riddler's Revenge was also the park's single biggest investment at a cost of $14 million. It features a height of 156 feet (48 m), a maximum speed of 65 mph (105 km/h), six inversions, and a track length of 4,370 feet (1,330 m).
| The Riddler's Revenge | |
|---|---|
The chain lift hill and vertical loop of Riddler's Revenge | |
| Six Flags Magic Mountain | |
| Location | Six Flags Magic Mountain |
| Park section | Metropolis |
| Coordinates | 34°25′28″N 118°36′02″W / 34.424524°N 118.600637°W |
| Status | Operating |
| Soft opening date | April 1, 1998 |
| Opening date | April 4, 1998 |
| Cost | US$14,000,000 |
| General statistics | |
| Type | Steel – Stand-up |
| Manufacturer | Bolliger & Mabillard |
| Designer | Werner Stengel |
| Model | Stand-Up Coaster |
| Lift/launch system | Chain lift hill |
| Height | 156 ft (48 m) |
| Drop | 146 ft (45 m) |
| Length | 4,370 ft (1,330 m) |
| Speed | 65 mph (105 km/h) |
| Inversions | 6 |
| Duration | 3:00 |
| Capacity | 1,610 riders per hour |
| G-force | 4.2 |
| Height restriction | 54 in (137 cm) |
| Trains | 3 trains with 8 cars. Riders are arranged 4 across in a single row for a total of 32 riders per train. |
Flash Pass available | |
Single rider line available | |
| The Riddler's Revenge at RCDB | |
History edit
Construction of the coaster began in late 1997. The ride's name was revealed in January 1998.[1] It would be called The Riddler's Revenge, and would set world records for the stand-up coaster in height, drop, speed, length and number of inversions.[2][3][4][5][6] The ride also broke the record for the world's tallest vertical loop.[7] The previous holder of all these records was Chang at Kentucky Kingdom, which was installed exactly one year prior.[8]
The Riddler's Revenge soft opened on April 1, 1998.[9] Three days later on April 4, 1998, the ride officially opened.[10][11] The opening of the ride was part of a redevelopment of the Monterey Landing themed area, which became a 4.9-acre (2.0 ha) themed area known as Movie District. As part of the expansion the park added new restaurants, retail outlets, and rethemed some existing rides.[12][13]
In March 2000, The Riddler's Revenge conceded the title of the world's largest vertical loop to Superman: Krypton Coaster at Six Flags Fiesta Texas. The floorless roller coaster featured a 145-foot-tall (44 m) vertical loop, 21 feet (6.4 m) taller than that of The Riddler's Revenge.[11][14] The park closed several rides including The Riddler's Revenge in early 2017 to begin the construction of Metropolis, a new themed area that resulted in new paint schemes along with modified entrances and exit queues for some attractions. The new area opened on July 12, 2017, which marked the reopening of The Riddler's Revenge.[15][16]
Characteristics edit
Statistics edit
The 4,370-foot-long (1,330 m) Riddler's Revenge stands 156 feet (48 m) tall. With a top speed of 65 miles per hour (105 km/h), the ride features six inversions including a 124-foot-tall (38 m) vertical loop, two dive loops, an inclined loop, and two corkscrews.[11] The vertical loop wraps around the lift hill, a rare feature that is also found on Kumba at Busch Gardens Tampa and Banshee at Kings Island.[17] Riders experience up to 4.2 times the force of gravity on the three-minute ride.[11]
The Riddler's Revenge operates with three steel-and-fiberglass trains. Each train has eight cars with four seats in a single row, for a total of 32 riders per train.[11] Riders are secured by an over-the-shoulder harness. Although The Riddler's Revenge is a stand-up roller coaster, there is a small bicycle seat which riders straddle.[18]
Manufacturer edit
The Riddler's Revenge is one of four Bolliger & Mabillard roller coasters at Six Flags Magic Mountain, joining Batman: The Ride, Scream, and Tatsu.[19][20][21][22] The coaster is the park's second stand-up coaster; the first, Shockwave, was a smaller coaster manufactured by Giovanola and contracted by Intamin. It operated at the park from 1986 to 1988.[19][23] Shockwave was relocated to Six Flags Great Adventure, preceding the installation of Green Lantern (a retheming and relocation of Chang).[24][25]
Theme edit
As its name suggests, The Riddler's Revenge is themed after the DC Comics character Riddler.[26] The track was originally painted green with black supports[27] until 2017, when the supports were repainted yellow.[28] As the Riddler was an archenemy of Batman,[29] The Riddler's Revenge is located appropriately adjacent to Batman: The Ride, in the back of the park.[30] The Riddler's signature question mark is featured on the coaster's logo. The techno music that played on the loading platform is Ecuador (Bruce Wayne Mix) by Sash! (Bruce Wayne being the secret identity of Riddler's nemesis, Batman).[11]
Ride experience edit
Queue and station edit
After waiting in line in the outdoor portion of the queue, guests enter a building housing the station.[31] Prior to entering, The Flash Pass queue merges with the general queue.[31] Guests climb a staircase and head into the boarding area.[31] Inside, there are laser lighting special effect units mounted at various points, which use moving mirrors to reflect a green question mark shape around the interior of the queue.[31] Near the boarding area, the line breaks into eight separate rows, with each one leading to a gate that boards a specific row on the train.[31] There is also a separate single rider entrance and queue that leads to directly to the boarding area.[32]
Layout edit
The ride begins with a right turn out of the station. Once the train ascends the 156-foot-tall (48 m) lift it goes through a small pre-drop, before dropping 146 feet (45 m) on a banked left turn. It then enters the 124-foot-tall (38 m) vertical loop which wraps around the lift hill. Two dive loops follow, the second of which also wraps around the lift hill. An inclined loop is followed by two right turns that lead up and into the mid-course brake run. After dropping out of the brake run, the train immediately enters a corkscrew to the left. A series of direction and elevation changes lead into a second corkscrew, the inverted part of which is just above a portion of the queue line. The track then turns to the right and enters the final brake run before returning to the station.[11][33]
Reception edit
The Riddler's Revenge has made four appearances on Amusement Today's annual Golden Ticket Awards top 50 steel roller coasters. It debuted on the poll in 2003 at position 41, before peaking at 38 in 2006.[34][35][36][37]
| Year | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ranking | 41[34] | 44[35] | 45[36] | 38[37] |
References edit
- ^ Torres, Maria L. (January 7, 1998). "Holy Thrill Rides Batman!". The Signal. Signal Business Writer. Retrieved February 12, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Marden, Duane. "Record Holders (Stand Up, Height)". Roller Coaster DataBase.
- ^ Marden, Duane. "Record Holders (Stand Up, Drop)". Roller Coaster DataBase.
- ^ Marden, Duane. "Record Holders (Stand Up, Speed)". Roller Coaster DataBase.
- ^ Marden, Duane. "Record Holders (Stand Up, Length)". Roller Coaster DataBase.
- ^ Marden, Duane. "Record Holders (Stand Up, Inversions)". Roller Coaster DataBase.
- ^ "Roller coasters are bigger and faster". Record-Journal. Record-Journal Publishing Company. Associated Press. August 4, 1998. from the original on November 9, 2021. Retrieved July 27, 2013.
- ^ Marden, Duane. "Chang (Six Flags Kentucky Kingdom)". Roller Coaster DataBase.
- ^ Webb, Cynthia L. (April 2, 1998). "Wild new ride at Six Flags". The Modesto Bee. Signal Business Writer. from the original on November 9, 2021. Retrieved February 12, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Guier, Cindy Stooksbury (August 24, 1998). "Parks and fairs mark improvements". Amusement Business. 110 (34): 15.
- ^ a b c d e f g Marden, Duane. "Riddler's Revenge (Six Flags Magic Mountain)". Roller Coaster DataBase.
- ^ Zoltak, James (January 12, 1998). "Six Flags Magic Mountain gears up for Riddler ride". Amusement Business.
- ^ "The Riddler's Revenge". Six Flags Magic Mountain. from the original on November 16, 2018. Retrieved June 21, 2017.
- ^ MacDonald, Brady (August 30, 2012). "Six Flags Magic Mountain adding Full Throttle coaster in 2013". Los Angeles Times. from the original on November 7, 2012. Retrieved July 27, 2013.
- ^ "Justice League: Battle for Metropolis Construction Tour - March 10th 2017 - California Coaster Kings". from the original on March 15, 2017. Retrieved June 1, 2017.
- ^ MacDonald, Brady (July 11, 2017). "Six Flags Magic Mountain finally has a dark ride worthy of the competition". Los Angeles Times. from the original on July 15, 2017. Retrieved July 15, 2017.
- ^ Stilwell, Andrew (March 17, 2014). "A-Z Coaster of the Week: Kumba". Coaster101. from the original on April 24, 2021. Retrieved September 13, 2021.
- ^ . The Coaster Critic. August 25, 2008. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved July 27, 2013.
- ^ a b Marden, Duane. "Six Flags Magic Mountain". Roller Coaster DataBase.
- ^ Marden, Duane. "Batman The Ride (Six Flags Magic Mountain)". Roller Coaster DataBase.
- ^ Marden, Duane. "Scream (Six Flags Magic Mountain)". Roller Coaster DataBase.
- ^ Marden, Duane. "Tatsu (Six Flags Magic Mountain)". Roller Coaster DataBase.
- ^ Marden, Duane. "Shockwave (Six Flags Magic Mountain)". Roller Coaster DataBase.
- ^ Marden, Duane. "Shockwave (Six Flags Great Adventure)". Roller Coaster DataBase.
- ^ Marden, Duane. "Green Lantern (Six Flags Great Adventure)". Roller Coaster DataBase.
- ^ O'Brien, Tim (May 4, 1998). "Park preview '98". Amusement Business. 110 (18): 17.
- ^ Marden, Duane. "Riddler's Revenge (Six Flags Magic Mountain)". Roller Coaster DataBase.
- ^ Dahlin, Kurt (April 30, 2017). "The Riddler's Revenge Gets A New Paint Job at Six Flags Magic Mountain". The Coaster Guy. from the original on May 26, 2020. Retrieved May 5, 2020.
- ^ "Of Parks and Places New Rides". San Jose Mercury News. MediaNews Group. May 22, 1998.
- ^ MacDonald, Brady (February 4, 2011). "Green Lantern roller coaster arrives at Six Flags Magic Mountain". Los Angeles Times. from the original on December 21, 2013. Retrieved July 27, 2013.
- ^ a b c d e Dahlin, Kurt (September 8, 2012). "Ride Profile: The Riddler's Revenge". The Coaster Guy. from the original on August 30, 2021. Retrieved August 29, 2021.
- ^ Dahlin, Kurt (March 20, 2013). "Single Rider Line At Six Flags Magic Mountain". The Coaster Guy. from the original on August 30, 2021. Retrieved August 29, 2021.
- ^ "Riddler's Revenge Front Row on-ride HD POV Six Flags Magic Mountain". Coaster Force. YouTube. December 5, 2011. from the original on June 22, 2013. Retrieved July 27, 2013.
- ^ a b (PDF). Amusement Today: 14–15B. September 2003. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 19, 2013.
- ^ a b (PDF). Amusement Today: 18–19B. September 2004. Archived from the original (PDF) on April 3, 2007.
- ^ a b (PDF). Amusement Today: 26–27B. September 2005. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 19, 2013.
- ^ a b (PDF). Amusement Today: 26–27B. September 2006. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 19, 2013.
External links edit
- Official website
- The Riddler's Revenge at the Roller Coaster DataBase
- Media related to Riddler's Revenge at Wikimedia Commons